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EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 2 winner

Congratulations to Eman Haskic, our second winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Eman's team, lindon, posted a score of 196.05.

The team featured the following lineup: Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem as team captain, then Tyler Ennis of Umana Reyer Venice, Devin Robinson of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Kyle Alexander of Turk Telekom Ankara and Reyer center Mfiondu Kabengele as the other starters. Kassius Robertson of Joventut Badalona was his sixth man, while Noa Essengue of ratiopharm Ulm, Vassilis Toliopoulos of Aris Midea Thessaloniki, Giga Janelidze of Reyer and Kaan Tarla of Turk Telekom made up the rest of the bench. Dejan of Bahcesehir College Istanbul was the head coach.

The prize for finishing first in Round 2 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season!

We have a new leader in the overall standings, too, as Mali Olja's squad has a total of 375.30 points after the first two rounds. Trades are now open for Round 3. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

Former chess star Jordan Ford impressed once again on his second EuroCup appearance as Trento beat Trefl Sopot in Round 2.

Grandmaster Jordan Ford delivered in crunch time for Trento

Having outwitted the bulk of his opponents in the ancient game of chess at a very young age, Jordan Ford went on to become just as lethal on the basketball court, serving up scintillating displays in his first two outings for Dolomiti Energia Trento in the BKT EuroCup.

Ford’s explosive debut in the competition, when he dropped 32 points on 14-of-15 shooting from the floor, went unrewarded as Trento suffered an 84-81 loss at 2023 champion Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 1.

It looked he would be brought crashing down to earth after a subdued first half of Trento’s opening home game against Trefl Sopot, as he was held to just 2 points in the wake of aggressive half-court pressure by his markers, who stifled out the livewire guard.

However, Ford showed the makings of a champion in the second period, rekindling his childhood days when he was already a two-time California State chess champion and ranked in the top 10 nationally for his age group.

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With Trento throwing away a 44-36 halftime lead and trailing 50-61 midway through the third quarter, Ford stepped up to the plate in a manner reminiscent of his more acclaimed lookalike Stephen Curry, draining one audacious three-pointer after another to turn the tide and finish on a game-high 20 points. 

Trento prevailed 84-78 and Ford, who joined the Italian team from G League outfit the Stockton Kings, which is an affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, capped his outstanding performance with a crunch defensive play with 14 seconds left on the clock, when he pickpocketed rival Jakub Schenk of the ball.

Four-time NBA champion Curry might be out of Ford’s league, but then again the Golden State Warriors guard is out of everyone’s league when it comes to playing in a backcourt.

Still, there is an uncanny resemblance to Curry in the way Ford sinks step-back three-pointers off the dribble in a defender’s face, which he did with devastating effect against Trefl when the chips were down.

In his post-game comments, the native of Citrus Heights, California, was as humble as ever. “It’s a super important win, it’s our first EuroCup win \[of the season\] and our first home game,” Ford said in a courtside interview. “It was a dogfight against a really scrappy team. Every good team is going to go on a run so it’s a good one,” he added.  

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Head coach Paolo Galbiati deservedly singled out Trento’s captain Toto Forray, one of the team’s unsung heroes who left it all out there on the court when Trefl looked the more likely winner.

“It was really tough,” Galbiati said. “We stopped playing together but then Toto stepped up and showed the way to everybody, he played like a real captain. He gave the energy and everybody followed, we were able to come back in like three minutes. I expect many fans to come and watch us because we try to do our best every time.”

With Anthony Lamb delivering early on, Trento also thrived on workmanlike performances from Saliou Niang and Selom Mawuge, while Quinn Ellis chipped in with 13 points – including a crunch late triple – which gave the hosts the lead for good, 75-72.

But it was Ford who stole the show and Trento can now look forward to its Round 3 home game against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, which should be just as enthralling as the rip-roaring matchup with Trefl.  

Once a middle school chess talent, the 26-year-old guard lit up the EuroCup’s opening two rounds with a pair of stunning displays 

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Trefl Sopot (2024-10-02T18:00:00.000Z)

Although the most exciting piece of recruitment for Valencia fans during the summer might have been the return of Pedro Martinez, the head coach was outshone by a trio of his new signings on the court during Wednesday’s 105-78 victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg.

Martinez led *Las Taronjas* to its first-ever Spanish League title in 2017 and now, returning to the club after seven years away, has been entrusted with the task of challenging for a fifth BKT EuroCup crown.

His quest has been aided by the arrival of some talented new players, who took the opportunity to shine in their home debuts on Wednesday.

First and foremost was Matt Costello, who was signed from Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz largely due to his physical ability to dominate the paint. But Costello, instead, used the win over Hamburg to showcase his long-range shooting abilities, leading all scorers with 23 points in just 14 minutes on the floor, doing the damage from deep by converting 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

Costello was no stranger to the Fonteta floor thanks to his long spell with Baskonia, and referenced the vibrant atmosphere routinely created by Valencia fans as he joked after the game: “It was nice to have \[the fans\] cheering for me instead of against me!

“I’ve been coming here for five years and everyone was whistling me, so now it’s nice to hear them clapping!”

The fans were certainly in a celebratory mood after watching their team run riot in the final 15 minutes, turning a tight 65-63 scoreline into an eventual rout. And Costello believes the manner of performance over that final stretch should act as a template to follow over the coming weeks.

“We’re a team that likes to get out and run,” he explained. “We have a bunch of athletic guys, and Pedro’s system is to get up and down the court. Once we started getting stops, it opened up the game for us and that’s what we hope to do.”

Another impressive performance came from new backcourt orchestrator Jean Montero, who took advantage of Chris Jones’s absence through injury to lead the offense superbly.

At first, 21-year-old Montero focused on distribution as he dished 6 assists in the first quarter, including a beautiful behind the back feed to Jaime Pradilla which had the fans purring in admiration.

Montero later showed his scoring skills by advancing to 11 points, and continued to dish dimes by completing a double-double with 11 assists – the biggest contribution to an excellent overall team total of 28.

The third and final new signing to shine was Brancou Badio, who followed his coach Martinez from Manresa to Valencia this summer.

The 25-year-old guard, who made one appearance of just 22 seconds in the EuroLeague during his younger days with FC Barcelona, was a fairly quiet presence during the opening three quarters but exploded into life as Valencia ran away with the game in the fourth.

Draining a trio of three-pointers in just 46 seconds, Badio finished with 14 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from long-range, showing that he also has the talent to play his part.

And with Martinez back at the helm, a strong existing roster and the new signings making an instant impact, Valencia has already demonstrated that it will be tough to beat this season.

Jean Montero and Brancou Badio were also among those who impressed for the hosts

Matt Costello and fellow new faces soaking up the applause at Valencia

Valencia Basket v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2024-10-02T18:30:00.000Z)

JL Bourg is proving itself to be one of the best defensive teams in this year's EuroCup, as it displayed against U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 2.

Bourg’s defensive pressure wreaked havoc early on against Cluj

The BKT EuroCup season is only two rounds old, but let this be a warning to Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse’s opponents: last year’s finalist will not make it easy for your playmakers and its defense will be hungry for turnovers.

Bourg forced U-BT Cluj-Napoca into 22 turnovers in putting together an 84-71 victory to improve to 2-0 on the young season. The French team snatched 19 steals, setting a new club record, eclipsing the 16 steals it had against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in Round 15 at home last season.

“I thought we fought hard. A win is a win. We’ll take it,” said Bourg’s Xavier Castaneda, who scored a team-high 18 points and had 2 steals.

Nine Bourg players picked up a steal, with Hugo Benitez, Joel Ayayi and Kevin Kokila all collecting three of them.

Bourg dominated the third quarter 26-10 and that momentum spilled over into the final period as Frederic Fauthoux’s team built a 74-46 lead. The French coach, however, watched his troops relax most of the rest of the game and allowed Cluj to get back within 11 points with a minute to go.

Even though the result was never in doubt, Fauthoux was not satisfied with his team’s showing.

“It’s a victory, but it’s not a good victory,” he said. “We played well for about 20 of the 40 minutes, but the last 5-6 minutes were not good. Of course, we are happy to win every time. But we must improve a lot when you look at the last six minutes.”

This was still the second straight game that Bourg’s defense wreaked havoc on its opponent’s offense. In the season-opening 80-100 Round 1 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg, Bourg forced 23 turnovers and turned them into 24 points off turnovers - compared to Hamburg’s 13 points off Bourg’s 12 turnovers.

Bourg ended up with 14 turnovers against Cluj but had only committed 4 turnovers through the first 30 minutes. Fauthoux’s team turned those miscues into 19 points and it really helped to get the easy points against Cluj as Bourg did struggle from long range, hitting only 27 percent on three-pointers. The French side buried 46 percent of its three-pointers against Hamburg.

Sure, it is early in the season and Fauthoux can correctly be concerned about his team’s lackluster 16-27 fourth quarter against Cluj. But the defensive pressure on the ball has certainly been working and getting points off turnovers. May future Bourg opponents be forewarned.

Coach Fauthoux's side put in another impressive display

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-10-02T17:30:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom showed great fighting spirit as it beat Aris BC on the road.

Turk Telekom matched Aris’s fighting spirit to grab crucial road win

When Anthony Brown went 3 for 3 on buckets from inside the arc to take his tally to 9 points and extend Turk Telekom Ankara’s lead to 13-30 midway through the second quarter, a second thrashing in a row - after losing 95-74 at Umana Reyer Venice last week – looked increasingly possible for Aris Midea Thessaloniki.

Yet, Aris fought back in the second half, tightened its defense and took its first lead of the game thanks to two free throws from Eleftherios Bochoridis, who put the hosts 46-45 ahead in the closing stages of the third quarter.

In his pre-game interview on EuroLeague TV, head coach Erdem Can stressed that the key to a potential win would be Turk Telekom matching Aris’s “aggressiveness” on the court, and that’s precisely what the guests did in the closing quarter. The hosts had managed to turn the game around and fans in the stands were buzzing in their bid to push Aris in what could be a morale-boosting comeback victory in Thessaloniki, but Turk Telekom unlocked its potential on defense to clinch the victory.

“In the last quarter we came back with our defense, we played smart offensively and we closed the game with a win,” Can said in the post-game press conference.

After conceding 21 points and scoring just 11 in a poor third quarter, the Turkish side kept Aris to 16 points and netted 21 in the fourth to clinch a narrow victory.

“We were rushing a bit on offense, but when we got our composure, we knew what we wanted to do and figured it out,” Kyle Alexander, who recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds – including a career-high 10 offensive boards – admitted in the post-game interview on EuroLeague TV.

Ismet Akpinar and Anthony Brown played a crucial role offensively, scoring 7 and 5 points, respectively, in the last quarter. A James Banks bucket from inside got Aris within 59-60 with 2:16 left on the clock, but Akpinar and Brown sliced through a rigid Aris defense on two occasions in crunch time to net a couple of hard-fought layups and sealed the road victory.

Turk Telekom will host Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 3 next week, but it has already proven that its defense, which has conceded 66 and 63 points, respectively, in the first two games of the season, provides them with the confidence and energy they need to crash any opponent either at home or on the road.

Kyle Alexander was a monster on the glass, grabbing 10 offensive boards – the second most in EuroCup history

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Turk Telekom Ankara (2024-10-02T17:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento chalked up its first win of the season in the BKT EuroCup after guard Jordan Ford produced a masterclass second-half performance to lead the Italian side to an 84-78 home victory over Polish rival Trefl Sopot.

Ford scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half as he shot the lights out of the battling visitors, who had engineered a 4-23 run in the third quarter which turned a 44-36 halftime deficit into a 48-59 lead on the back of ironclad defense.

Anthony Lamb netted 13 points for Trento and Quinn Ellis added 12, while Selom Mawuge scored 9 and Saliou Niang chipped in with 7 to go with 8 boards. At the other end, Jakub Schenk and Aaron Best amassed 16 points each for Trefl, Marcus Weathers racked up 15 and 8 rebounds while Tarik Phillip and Jaroslaw Zyskowski scored 11 points each.

Lamb scored 9 of Trento’s opening 11 points as the home side dominated the first quarter to clinch it 25-15, with Niang making his presence felt in the paint. Despite Ford being tightly marked by Trefl's backcourt, Trento was able to keep up the momentum in the second quarter, taking an eight-point lead into the locker room at halftime.

However, the hosts went ice-cold from the floor early in the third, shooting just 5 of 19 from deep at that stage which allowed Trefl, galvanized by Best and Weathers, to turn the game on its head.

Ford then turned on the heat as he found his range from downtown, allowing Trento to slash the deficit to 61-64 at the end of the third quarter before the Italian outfit forced the final twist in the fourth.

Trefl lost its lead for good after Ford nailed a triple to give the hosts a 72-70 edge and then buried another on to make it 78-72, forcing the visitors into submission after a rip-roaring contest.

The American guard’s heroics apart, Trento edged Trefl in rebounding (40-38) and assists (16-14), having made 10 of 28 shots from beyond the arc while Trefl went 8 of 22.

Led by the immaculate Jordan Ford, Trento ground out a hard-fought win after erasing an 11-point second half deficit 

Resilient Trento overpowers plucky Trefl in rollercoaster, 84-78

Valencia Basket showed why it is a contender to win the EuroCup with a dominant 105-78 win over the Hamburg Towers.

Valencia outlasts Hamburg in offensive exhibition, 105-78

Valencia Basket advanced to 2-0 by overcoming winless Veolia Towers Hamburg, 105-78, in a triumphant homecoming to La Fonteta for head coach Pedro Martinez.

Hamburg stayed close during a high-scoring first half, and initially hung in the game even after Valencia advanced into double-digit leads after the break. But Valencia finished the third quarter with a 17-2 run, taking control for good. Matt Costello excelled with 23 points on his Valencia home debut, while Stefan Jovic and Brancou Badio both scored 14, and Jean Montero had a double-double of 11 points and 11 assists. Billy Ivey led the way for Hamburg with 19 points, while Jaizec Lottie scored 14.

Nate Reuvers started the game by scoring under the basket and from long range, before Ivey netted twice to keep Hamburg close, 7-6. Semi Ojeleye added a coast-to-coast layup and one, but Ivey struck from deep and Lottie completed a 0-7 run for Hamburg’s first lead, 13-15. Lottie added a long-range strike, only for 5 points from Costello to force another lead change, 21-20. The fast scoring pace continued as Ethan Happ netted twice, but Hamburg responded with another Lottie triple, making it 30-29 after 10 minutes.

Patrick Heckmann sent Hamburg back ahead early in the second, but Ojeleye’s battling bucket and Badio’s triple reignited Valencia. Jovic and Jaime Pradilla completed a 9-0 run for a 39-31 advantage, before Ivey struck from deep for Hamburg’s first score in more than three minutes. Montero’s floater and Jovic’s triple kept Valencia ahead, and Costello’s triple made it 48-39. Keondre Kennedy deep strike and Lottie’s slashing layup made it closer, but Montero had the word of the first half with a layup to make it 52-44.

Costello opened the third quarter with a pair of triples, and Badio was also on target from deep, making it 63-51. Kuath scored twice to keeping Hamburg battling, and Ivey’s three-point play followed by Lottie’s reverse layup and Kennedy’s corner three pulled it back to 65-61. Benedikt Turudic completed a 0-10 run, but Montero’s steal and layup-and-one settled the host and Jovic’s fast-break score made it 73-63. Xabi Lopez-Arostegui’s three-point play and a dunk from Reuvers broke the game, giving Valencia an 82-65 lead after three quarters.

Costello and Josep Puerto widened the gap as Hamburg continued to run out of steam, and Badio poured in a trio of triples to keep the home team in cruise control, 97-69. With the outcome decided, the intensity understandably dropped before Valencia reached double figures with a put-back from Reuvers and a deep strike from Montero. Triples from Leif Moeller and Jordan Barnett made the scoreboard look a little better for Hamburg, but Valencia was more than comfortable.

The Spanish side showed why it is a contender to win the EuroCup

JL Bourg-en-Bresse impressed during an 84-71 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 2 of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.

Bourg rolls past Cluj, 84-71

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, last season’s BKT EuroCup finalist, improved to 2-0 with another strong showing as it downed U-BT Cluj-Napoca 84-71 at home in Group B. Bourg, which beat Veolia Towers Hamburg by 20 points on the road in Round 1, put the game away with a 26-10 third quarter and forced Cluj into 22 turnovers thanks to a club record 19 steals. 

Xavier Castaneda led Bourg with 18 points, Adrian Nelson scored 11 points and both Mehdy Ngouama and Kevin Koklia added 10 points in the win. Cluj is left asking questions with a 0-2 record in the group despite Sasu Salin scoring 18 points and Zach Hankins picking up 17 points.

After Bourg opened the game with the first five points, Salin drained two three-pointers for a 7-8 lead. The hosts shut down Cluj for more than 3 minutes to build a 15-8 cushion. De’Shawn Stephens got Cluj within two points only to see Bourg close the first quarter with the final 7 points for a 24-15 advantage after 10 minutes. 

Hankins stepped up for the guests early in the second quarter with two scores, an assist on a Kevin Hervey three-pointer and a blocked shot as Cluj tied the game 24-24. Bourg needed more than 3 minutes to finally score, but Cluj continued its push with triples by Mihai Maciuca and Salin for the 28-30 lead. Bourg regained control thanks to getting to the foul line with 7 free throws in an 11-2 run for a 39-32 lead. And the cushion was 42-36 at the break.

After a first half with 11 turnovers, Cluj committed three more turnovers and Castaneda scored 5 points in an 8-0 start to the second half and a 50-36 lead. Cluj couldn’t get on the scoreboard until after more than 2 minutes. Two straight baskets from Adrian Nelson increased the margin to 17 points - 59-42 - and the advantage just kept growing and was 68-46 after 30 minutes. 

Ngouama tallied the first six points of the fourth quarter as the lead grew to 74-46. Bourg essentially took its foot off the gas and Cluj made it a bit more respectable with a 0-12 run to pull within 74-58 with 5 minutes left. The guests managed to get within 11 points in the final minute, but the result was never in doubt. 

Frederic Fauthoux's men are looking very impressive once again in 2024-25

Dreamland Gran Canaria looked as though it was going to see itself home on the road at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica when it led 63-75 with five minutes to go in regulation, but a late resurgence by the hosts saw the game head to overtime. In the extra period, the 2023 BKT EuroCup champion secured an 86-89 triumph on a John Shurna corner three-pointer – his first points of the night. 

With this victory, Gran Canaria maintained its perfect start to the season, while Buducnost now has a 0-2 record.

Caleb Homesley was Gran Canaria’s star man through the first three quarters, netting 20 of his team’s 62 points, before finishing with a game-high 23. He was joined in double figures by Nicolas Brussino (11 points) and Miquel Salvo (10), while George Conditt wasn’t too far off a double-double after posting 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Rasheed Sulaimon led a balanced Buducnost offense which saw the American score 16 points, Juwan Morgan add 15, with 13 coming in the first half, Fletcher Magee and Kenan Kamenjas chip in with 12 apiece, and Andrija Slavkovic contribute 11 points.

The opening quarter quickly became a personal matchup between Morgan and Homesley, with the former scoring 11 points to the latter’s 10. Buducnost never trailed in the opening stanza and even held a 10-point lead (22-12) after a Morgan three, but Gran Canaria did fight but to reduce the deficit to 25-20 after the first 10 minutes.

Gran Canaria continued its momentum from the late stages of the first quarter into the second, netting seven straight points to take the lead (25-27). An inspired Buducnost refused to let that affect how it wanted to play, however, and the hosts went up by nine points (44-35) with 1:50 to go before halftime after a 7-0 run of its own. Brussino’s triple ensured it was 44-38 at the break.

Following an 18-9 Gran Canaria run, the visitors retook the lead (53-56) in the third quarter before building on that further. By the time the first 90 seconds of the first quarter were in the books, Gran Canaria was up 58-69 and in complete control, forcing a Buducnost timeout. The story was remaining the same when there were five minutes to go (63-75), so Buducnost once again stopped the game. This time, though, McGee’s heroics allowed the hosts to cut the gap, then Ferrell hit three free throws with two seconds left to make it 81-81 and force overtime.

The overtime period saw just five points scored in the first three and a half minutes, with all going the way of Gran Canaria, but a couple of free throws by Sulaimon and Kamenjas at least got Buducnost moving (83-86) entering the final 1:17 minutes. Ferrell caused a big roar from the crowd after hitting a three (86-86) with 41.3 seconds on the clock, but Shurna silenced the arena with a three-pointer from the corner (86-89) with 17.4 seconds left. Ferrell then missed two three-point shots in the final 12 seconds as Gran Canaria grabbed its second win of the campaign.

With his first points of the game, the Granca forward hit a timely three-pointer in the extra period

John Shurna the hero as Gran Canaria downs Buducnost in OT, 86-89

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2024-10-02T17:00:00.000Z)